1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for clamping and severing an elongated member, and methods of constructing and utilizing such apparatus. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus for clamping and severing flexible and/or deformable members, such as an umbilical cord.
The phraseology "elongated member" as employed herein is intended to connote an umbilical cord, an artery, a vein, a capillary, a conduit, a tube, a duct, and generally any flexible and/or deformable member capable of being clamped and severed. Although the present invention will be hereinafter described in connection with the clamping and severing of an umbilical cord, the invention is not limited to use in connection with umbilical cords and may, for example, be applied for use in connection with clamping and cutting of any of the aforementioned members.
2. Description of Relevant Art
In standard child birth procedures, it is required that the doctor very carefully perform the delicate operation of cutting the umbilical cord at a point very close to the baby's abdomen. Heretofore, various attempts have been made to provide a device for clamping the umbilical cord and severing same such that the severed ends are separated and clamped. An exemplary device of such type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,026,294 issued May 31, 1977 to the present inventor. Such device effectively attains the desirable object of avoiding any direct handling of the clamping members by employing the leverage of scissors for the clamping operation. Thereafter, the scissors are released from connection with the clamping members and are employed in a separate severing step.
Other combination umbilical clamp and cutting devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,106,919 issued Oct. 15, 1963 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,323,208. However, such devices are difficult to manipulate and have other attendant disadvantages. For example, such devices have a tendency to slip, especially when being handled by wet gloves or hands. Such slip problem is not alleviated by providing the outer clamp surfaces with non-slip formations, and is further accentuated by the lack of leverage provided by such devices. In this respect, considerable leverage is required in order to securely clamp and sever the umbilical cord. Further, such devices must be oriented so that the clamp side having the blade remains on the mother's side (i.e., the placenta side) of the cord for discarding with the placenta. A misorientation of such a device may injuriously leave the clamp side with the blade on the child's side of the cord, possibly resulting in infection and various other complications.
Other known devices for performing clamping and cutting operations include the circumcision instruments disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,566,873 issued Mar. 2, 1971 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,706,312 issued Dec. 19, 1972; and the surgical instruments disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,918,700 issued July 18, 1933 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,175,556 issued Mar. 30, 1965. However, such other known devices have generally failed to meet the desideratum for a clamping/cutting apparatus which may be easily and effectively employed in clamping and severing an umbilical cord, for example, while overcoming the foregoing problems.
The present invention overcomes each of the foregoing problems associated with known devices, and discloses a clamping/cutting apparatus which is even easier and more convenient to use than the device disclosed in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 4,026,924 issued to the present inventor.